Are you interested in getting experience in a local nonprofit agency or organization? Do you want to gain relevant insights, interact with clients, and meet people engaged in doing important work? Are you especially interested in spending time in a setting which will enable you to explore the experiences of women, both inside and outside the family; the social forces which influence women's lives in the various roles they play; and women as change-makers?
GUIDE to ACADEMIC INTERNSHIP INFORMATION
for WMS 422: Internship Focusing on Women's and Family Issues
Dr. J. A. Ruggiero
Professor of Sociology
Howley 216
Telephone: 865-2514
The internships discussed here are for academic course credit in sociology or in Women's Studies. Paid internships may also be available. Information about them should be sought directly from the Office of Career Planning and Internship Services in Slavin 211.
Below are the typical questions students frequently ask about internships and the answers to those questions.
QUESTION #1: WHAT IS AN ACADEMIC INTERNSHIP and HOW WILL DOING ONE BENEFIT ME?
ANSWER: Internships are field placements at agencies or organizations in the local community. Academic internships provide opportunities for you to connect classroom learning to the way life operates in the world outside the classroom. Specifically, the internship site is the context in which you will use:
1. relevant course content such as ideas, disciplinary perspectives, explanations,
knowledge and
2. skills like critical thinking, methodological, analytical, interpersonal,
and writing/communication skills to better understand a social issue or to work
on solving a problem of interest to a community, group, or organization. Through
participation in an internship you may also gain other benefits such as work
experience, developing social responsibility, acquiring leadership skills. You
may make useful contacts for letters of reference or future employment at, or
through, your internship Site Supervisor.
The question to ask yourself, and answer, is: What can an academic internship do for me that I cannot gain from taking a traditional course?
QUESTION #2: WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE AN ACADEMIC INTERNSHIP?
ANSWER: Generally, an academic internship (i.e. an internship for course credit) offers students more structure and provides experiences which are more closely related to their academic or career interests than does either volunteering or doing a paid internship. Students who do an academic internship are supervised by a knowledgeable staff member (Site Supervisor) at the placement agency/organization. Site supervisors are aware of interns' learning objectives and assist them in achieving these objectives. Interns enrolled in an academic internship that has a seminar component also benefit from interaction with other interns and with the Faculty Advisor. In addition, the Faculty Advisor brings his/her expertise and perspective to seminar discussions by helping students to frame and make sense of their experiences at the site.
QUESTION #3: HOW WILL I CHOOSE/LOCATE AN ACADEMIC INTERNSHIP SITE?
ANSWER: If you decide to take an internship through the Women's Studies Program, the Director will generally refer you to Dr. Ruggiero (contact information above). You will choose an internship site after consulting with Dr. Ruggiero, Faculty Advisor (FA) for Sociology Interns, and with Denise Godin, Assistant Director/College Internship Coordinator (CIC).
Examples of sites where PC students in WMS 422 have interned in recent years, or that areavailable to interns interested in women's and family issues, include:
1. The RI Coalition Against Domestic Violence or an affiliated agency: Public
Relations Intern
2. Fatima Hospital: Public Relations Intern (in the Breast Cancer Unit)
3. The RI Commission on Women: Legislative Research Intern
4. The Elizabeth Buffum Chace House (A shelter for bettered women and their
children in Warwick)
5. The Sexual Assault and Trauma Center Resource Center: Help Line Advocate
6. ComPeer of Kent County (Warwick)
7. Community Counseling Center (Pawtucket)
8. The Public Defender's Office: Social Service Intern
9. The Restraining Office
Choice of a site is generally based on your interests/background, learning objectives, skills, career plans, and the opportunities available at the time. The availability of a Site Supervisor (SS) who has a background or degree in sociology or a related social science should also be a consideration.
QUESTION #4: WHAT KINDS OF INTERNSHIPS ARE GENERALLY AVAILABLE?
ANSWER: There are many internship opportunities available in the local community. You may also develop your own placement site by working with the Denise Godin.
The kinds/general categories of internship sites typically chosen by students
in Women's Studies fall into four broad categories:
1. Internships in Human Services/Non Profit Agencies or Organizations:
In this setting interns, might be involved in doing applied social research,
advocacy, public relations, drug and alcohol counseling, working with homeless
families, abused women, with juveniles, the mentally ill, the developmentally
challenged, etc.
2. Internships in a Criminal Justice Agency/Setting:
In this setting interns are involved in some aspect of work related to law enforcement, probation, or adult corrections.
3. Internships in a Government Agency (Public Planning and Administration):
In this setting, interns may do a variety of things at a state or local government agency, depending on the agency's mission and the student's interests and skills.
4. Internships in a Private Corporation/Company:
Interns in this setting may be involved in marketing, sales, public relations,
or human resources/personnel work. Interns may also work with a lawyer or legal
advocate in doing work on behalf of some constituency.
QUESTION #5: WHAT ARE THE GENERAL EXPECTATIONS of INTERNS?
ANSWER: Interns will enroll in WMS 422, a course that meets once/week, and
will complete a minimum of 80 hours of work/participation at the site organization
during the semester in which the course is offered. Interns enrolled in WMS
422 IF, offered as an Independent Internship, will complete a total of 100 hours
of work/participation at the site. Generally, you will spend eight hours per
week at the site, usually one full day or two half days; access to a car is
necessary. In addition, IF students will meet with their Faculty Advisor (FA)
individually (or in small groups) every other week. They will also be in contact
with the FA via email or telephone in the interim weeks.
Other course requirements for both courses may include related reading, keeping
a journal of your experiences, and completing a major field project/product
pertinent to your site organization and your interests. Mini assignments and
other activities may also be assigned at the discretion of the Faculty Advisor.
After selecting an internship site, you wil:l
1. assist your Site Supervisor in developing your job description
2. set up your learning objectives for your internship.
QUESTION #6: WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO PREPARE FOR AN INTERNSHIP?
ANSWER: Prior to enrolling in an internship course, you will need to:
1. develop some "self knowledge" by identifying:
a. your objectives (academic, personal, and career-related) in taking an internship.
b. your interests, strengths/abilities, and skills. What talents will you bring
to the organization/agency?
2. explore and do some research on several internship possibilities of interest
to you and how each will relate to your objectives, strengths, and skills b:
a. utilizing the resources available through the Career Planning and Internship
Service Office in Slavin Center and/or
b. talking to faculty, PC alumni/alumnae in the area, relatives, friends, or professionals you know.
c. discussing possible choices with the Faculty Advisor before you make a final decision.
3. prepare a professional-looking resume and cover letter which identifies your interests and abilities.
Include items that increase your "marketability" e.g., relevant courses you took in another discipline (like business, social work, psychology, education, etc.); relevant work or volunteer experiences.
4. apply for an interview with the organization/agency.
Type all application forms, if possible, to make the best impression.
5. set up the interview.
Prepare by obtaining the list of "questions to ask" developed by the Career Planning and Internship Services Office.
6. be interviewed and accepted as an Intern at that site.
QUESTION #7: HOW FAR AHEAD SHOULD YOU BEGIN TO PLAN?
ANSWER: Give yourself plenty of time to locate and confirm an Internship site that is well suited to your interests and which can give you the types of experiences you desire. A good "rule of thumb" is to do the preliminary steps described earlier in this Guide during the semester preceding the one in which you will be at your internship placement so that you can get the site and details in place by the end of that semester (i.e., in the Spring for an internship planned for the Fall semester).